Flint holder for cigarette lighters



Filed Sept. 25, 1946 INVENTOR i-ferbwan Horn any ORNEYS Patented July 12, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarette lighters and more particularly to flint holders and magazines for cigarette lighters.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a flint holder for conventional cigarette lighters which may be opened or closed by a quarter turn of the locking member thereof. In conventional cigarette lighters a screw device is used to hold the flint in place against the sparking wheel. To renew the flint it is necessary to unscrew the holding device, insert a new flint and then screw the holding device back into place. In the present construction the holding device is instantly releasable and it may be locked instantly too. Any screwdriver, coin or similar device, or even ones fingernail may be used to turn this holding means the necessary quarter turn to release it or lock it.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a holder for cigarette lighter flints in which the tension member normally used to hold the flint against the sparking Wheel is also used to hold the flint holder in locked or closed position.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a flint magazine which may be closed by means of a sliding door which is controlled by the flint holding means. The magazine may not be opened in the present construction when the flint holding means is locked in place, and it is only when the flint holding means is released that the magazine may be opened.

A preferred embodiment of this invention is shown on the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side view thereof, partly in section to disclose the flint holding means and flint magazine herein claimed;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of said device;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the flint holding means; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the flint magazine door.

The device herein claimed comprises a casing l0 having the usual fuel compartment I provided therein, the usual flint holding tube |2 which holds the flint l3 in frictional contact with sparking wheel |4 immediately adjacent the wick l5. To hold the flint l3 in proper contact with sparking wheel M, the flint holder 2|] shown in Fig. 4 is provided. This flint holder has a flint contact member 2| which is really a pusher to push the and thereby urges the flint against the sparking wheel l4, a compression spring 22 which urges Said contact member 2| upwardly against the flint and thereby urges the flint against the sparking wheel, a tubular member 23 which carries the bottom end of the spring 22, a pair of lugs, flanges or cars 24 aflixed to the bottom end of said tube and a slotted member 25 which is afifixed to the lower end of said tube and to the bottom of said flanges 24 for the purpose hereinafter mentioned. Of these parts members 2| and 22 are conventional.

The spring 22 bears against the contact member 2| and also against the bottom of the tube 23, said tube being closed at the bottom. The entire assembly thus described with the exception of members 24 and 25 are contained within the tubular member l2. Since the contact member 2| abuts the flint l3 and the flint abuts the sparking wheel M, the tendency of the spring 22 is to urge the tubular member 23, the flanges 24 and the slotted member 25 downwardly and out of the casing I0 of the cigarette lighter. It will be noted in Figs. 2 and 3 that the casing is provided with a pair of inwardly turned flanges 30. And it will further be noted that flanges 24 are adapted to engage these flanges 30. When they do, as shown in Fig. 2, the entire flint holding assembly is locked into place in casing I0. To release said assembly from said casing, the slotted member 25 is turned to the position shown in Fig. 3. This causes a corresponding turn (if the flanges 24 until they are brought out of engagement with casing flanges 30, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. When this occurs the assembly is released and members 23, 24 and 25 are pushed out of the casing by virtue of the action of compression spring 22 upon them.

Adjacent flint holding tube I2 is a second tube 40. This tube may be considered to be a flint holding magazine where spare flints may ,be stored for future use. This magazine is open at the bottom and door or sliding member 4| is used to close the magazine. The flanges 30 of the casing serve as guides for the door 4| to enable said door to be used as a sliding member on a horizontal plane. It will be seen in Fig. 5 that this door member 4| is provided with a hole 42 and a flange 43. The flange 43 is intended to be used as a finger rest or means by which the finger is adapted to slide the door. The hole 42 is provided so that the members 2|, 22 and 23 of the flint holding assembly may pass through the door when it is in closed position. This provides a locking mechanism for the door which prevents horizontal movement thereof. The bottom of flint holding tube l2 prevents upward movement of said door and flanges 24; abutting 3 flanges 30 prevent downward movement of said door.

It will be understood that applicant has described a preferred form of his invention, and

being provided with a flint magazine comprising a tubular member adapted to hold a plurality of flints, and a door to close said tubular member, said door being slidably mounted in the cigarette he does not wish to be limited and bound by the 5 lighter casing, said sliding door being provided specific constructional features thereof above described;

I claim:

A are te li ht n mprisina, at asinenat casing, a sparking wheel, a fuel reservoir and a wick, said flint holder comprising a tubulap member adapted to hold a flint, a flint contact member abutting said flint, amomprossiomspringw" urging said contact member against saidtfiint to .15

said spring holder, spring, contact member and 20 flint g in place;- said magazine comprising a tubularmember situated adjacenh the-: fli-rrt holdingq tube; a sliding door =ad-apted' -to close-saidi-maga zine; said door being-providedwith-anropenihg through which the-spring holderis ada'pted to 25p.

extend; and'whereby said --door-is* locked into: place;

2; A cig-arette lighter comprisihg--acasing: at; flint holder in said casing, a sparking wheel? fuel reservoir and wiclcr: said ?cigarette =lig' lrter 30 with an aperture through which the flint holder is adapted to pass and whereby said flint holder is adapted to prevent slidable movement of said magazine door,

HORNING.

REFERENCES CITED Thefolldi ling referen ces are of record in the me of'this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date L ifiZASBn Apple July 17, 1923 1,800,715 Clausen Apr. 14, 1931 2,042,572 Wise et a1 J une,.2, 1936 2,432,004 Kovacr' 0,311,. 4,. 1933., 214233567 Sherman" July} 81,1947- 2,424,781 Vanetzian Ju1y,2.9,'i1947 EQRE GN PA IE'NTS Number- Country 1 Date, 

